Touchscreen Simplifies MIMO Measurements

March 16, 2011

Model VR5 HD Spatial Channel Emulator from Spirent Communications is designed to provide realistic operating conditions for testing the multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) configurations of modern wireless communications systems, such as WiMAX and cellular LTE systems. It can replicate the fading, noise, and spatial channel characteristics of real-world systems to evaluate different other-the-air (OTA) scenarios and their effects on communications systems at different stages in the design cycle.

The channel emulator's innovative touchscreen interface and software control greatly simplifies the creation of different MIMO communications scenarios by means of easy-to-follow graphical displays. According to Rob VanBrunt, Vice-President of Spirent's Wireless group, "Now, even the least-experienced user can run complicated handover and bi-directional testing quickly and accurately while reproducing the realistic performance of a deployed system."

The VR5 HD has a continuous frequency range of 400 to 6000 MHz. It has eight input channels and eight output channels, and can create as many as 32 digital channels. It provides an output signal range of -110 to -20 dB.

About the Author

Jack Browne

Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.